Originally Project Glass was mooted for a public release in 2014 at the earliest but the latest news on the Google Glass release date suggest it's beginning to look like we could see consumer units by the end of 2013.

That's because the prototype Explorer units are becoming an increasingly common site around San Francisco - and Google is even allowing competition 'winners' to pay $1,500 to get these early offerings.

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What does Google Glass do?

The core of Google Glass is its tiny prism display which sits not in your eyeline, but a little above it. You can see what is on the display by glancing up. The glasses also have an embedded camera, microphone, GPS and, reportedly, use bone induction to give you sound.

Voice control is used to control the device; you say 'ok glass' to get a range of options including taking pictures, videos, send messages using speech to text, 'hang out' with people or get directions to somewhere. You access these options by saying them out loud.

Most of this functionality is self explanatory; hang out is Google's video conferencing technology and allows you to talk to a people over web cam, and stream them what you are seeing and the directions use Google Maps and the inbuilt GPS to help you find your way.

The results are displayed on the prism - essentially putting data into your view like a head up display (HUD). It's potentially incredibly handy.

People are already developing some rather cool/scary apps for Google Glass - including one that allows you to identify your friends in a crowd, and another that allows you to dictate an email.

My first thought on these was how would they work with people who already wear glasses?

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I already wear glasses. Will Google Glasses work for me?

Yes. Google is experimenting with designs that will fit over existing glasses so you don't have to wear two lots of specs.

I've read a lot of paranoid discussions from people saying that google are going to be recording their lives and storing it on some massive database somewhere. Now while this would be an insane drain on battery life, some of these paranoid people should consider that their lives really aren't that interesting; especially considering the effort, cost and storage of that information.

Also from Tech Radar:

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Is Project Glass evil?

It could be. Google's business is about making money from advertising, and some people worry that Google Glass is its attempt to monetise your eyeballs by blasting you with ads whenever you look at something.

If you think pop-ups are annoying in a web browser, imagine them in front of your face. The ADmented Reality spoof is one of very many parodies that made us laugh.

Some of the parodies actually make a good point by showing people bumping into stuff: heads-up displays can be distracting, and there may be safety issues too. Until Google ships its self-driving car, the thought of drivers being distracted by their glasses is fairly terrifying.

There are privacy implications too. Never mind your web history: Google Glass might record everything you see and do.

There is a red recording light, but the tech certainly raises some key debates that will become more relevant as this kind of technology surfaces. What are the repercussions from having everything you say potentially taped, turned into text and searchable? What are the repercussions for free speech.

All radically new tech brings new potential for evil. But you have to weigh that against the capacity for good and the progress it brings

And finally, the most important point for many, the cost.

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The NYT again: according to "several Google employees familiar with the project who asked not to be named," the glasses are expected "to cost around the price of current smartphones." So that's around $750/£500, then, possibly with the help of a hefty Google subsidy.

Will anyone on here be purchasing this device? Do you think it's a gimmick or is it going to go huge? Honestly I believe the latter. People will soon leave home without their glass and feel lost. I will be picking up a pair on release date in the UK.

tl;dr: Google are making a computer you can wear on your face and control with your voice. Estimated to cost about $750/£500. Some people think it's a conspiracy, others think it is the future.

Replies To: Google Glass

Re: Google Glass

Posted 19 March 2013 - 04:29 AM

I don't care for cameras being pointed at me. Someone wearing these things is essentially doing that and taking pictures.

I'm conflicted. A friend of mine who used to work this coast joined the googleplex a few years back to work on this. He's a wearable computing guy and was hired specifically for the glass project. He had several old twiddlers in his basement, along with lots of home grown stuff. Interesting guy.

He's having fun, his kid got a ride to school in a car with no driver, Google popped a pic up of him wearing these things on their g+ feed (last pic on the top of that linked page.) I want him to do well.

Google ran a social media "what would you do" campaign. I respond, on his wife's g+ that reposted it. Anything I could think of involving using a camera to interact with people and find out information about them, sounded more than a little creepy.

I like the idea of a heads up display and hand free operation of my tech. However, the scope of implications and potential abuse of this in modern society bothers me.

Re: Google Glass

Posted 19 March 2013 - 05:24 AM

Some folks will embrace it, others reject it. Personally, while I think tech stuff can be neat, most people tend to forget that tech exists to simplify manual tasks and this "computer all the time everywhere" kind of device tends to repel me a bit.

Verizon's currently running a TV commercial where there's two teen kids in the forest with one kid's dad and the two kids, whilst being surrounded by the natural beauty of the forest, are (you prolly guessed it) nose down in their smart phones. There they are, out in the great outdoors, and all Verizon wants you to notice is how clueless Dad is as junior proceeds to instruct dumb ole dad on how superior this smart phone is while the kid's friend is busy taking video of trees. I pretty much hate that damned commercial.

Anyway, it's a good illustration (for me anyway) of tech being in places where it really doesn't belong being. "In the woods" is a good example. Constantly "on your face and in your right eye" is another. You have a life. What, you can't live it without a computer "enhancing" every moment for you?

Re: Google Glass

Posted 19 March 2013 - 06:22 AM

Well, I must admit that I'm pretty excited about this Google Glass. I think that it will be a big step forward for technology. But at the same time I don't want to see technology penetrating into every minute of our lives. I think that with proper software this glass can be used for work, but I'm not sure that it will be great to use them 24/7.

Re: Google Glass

Posted 19 March 2013 - 06:44 AM

Misanthropy is not an appealing stance, but it's confirmed daily. The google goggles are just the latest concrete evidence that people are as stupid as Steve Jobs said they are, and as he (among countless others) devoted his life to making them.

Re: Google Glass

Posted 19 March 2013 - 07:06 AM

Shit.. I do that now I am stopped at a red light behind a van or SUV. Hell I tailed one a few blocks past my turn to finish watching that episode of Power Rangers! Don't worry I was straddling the bike lane so I wouldn't dip into the oncoming traffic lane.

Re: Google Glass

Posted 19 March 2013 - 03:53 PM

I was having more of a think about this today, and how it's voice commands start with "ok glass". If these really take off, people could just stand next to a complete stranger and say a random command for fun/to annoy you.

baavgai, on 19 March 2013 - 11:29 AM, said:

I don't care for cameras being pointed at me. Someone wearing these things is essentially doing that and taking pictures.

I read an article that said there is going to be a red light on the front when recording but I'm guessing the people that don't wanna be seen recording will figure out a way to disable or cover that light.

The thing about Google glass is the battery. If I recall correctly, that was the hardest part and that makes up most of the ugliness (cause let's face it, a little pane of glass looks pretty cool and futuristic, but slap on a little kid's plastic toy looking thing, and it loses it's charm). If they can find a way to slim it down while maintaining a good charge, the applications are endless and I believe there will be a lot more people buying some.